


Greek Tragedy

by JacksMedullaOblongata



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Not a ship, but oh well, he is good with birds too, it is only at a few bits, looking back I realize it's kinda cheesy, mention of kavinsky, ronan and blue talk, ronan is closeted still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 05:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5484521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacksMedullaOblongata/pseuds/JacksMedullaOblongata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys and Blue go on a camping trip. Ronan and Blue get to spent some time together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Greek Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write Ronan and Blue’s relationship as being like siblings after Maggie revealed that there's a fist bump scene with the two in TRK. 
> 
> Title and style inspiration from Greek Tragedy by The Wombats.

Blue Sargent found herself face down on the floor. Twisting and looking back, she noticed her foot was caught behind a grassy hummock. While Ronan Lynch snorted and stepped over her, Adam helped her up. Noah patted her hair down with his icy fingers. Gansey was too busy scouting for a good area to settle.

“How much further?” Ronan muttered, “‘cause I'm getting really bored. Seriously, Gansey, just choose already.” 

The brashly orange Camaro held the tent and everything else, awaiting Gansey's choice of spot. Finally, he gave a flourish and pointed at a large, flat grassy clearing. Ronan set down his rucksack impatiently, while Blue, Noah and Adam went back to retrieve the gear. Then they remembered they needed the keys and went back to get Gansey. 

Noah’s hand brushed against Blue’s as they opened the Pig’s trunk and she shivered. She knew he was Noah Czerny, a boy who that had been dead for seven years, yet she still couldn't get used to that fact. She snapped back to reality as Adam nudged her and passed over some folding seats. Carrying them over, Gansey took them and Blue went back to the car to help with the tent. 

After a long struggle of (Ronan) swearing, poles, material and pegs the huge tent was up. Looking at it sceptically, Ronan pointed out there was barely enough room for five people. Gansey told him to stop complaining. Nobody else commented as they spread out their mattresses and sleeping bags, then Blue and Noah went to collect kindling for the evening. They wandered off to find some. 

Grasping an armful of dry twigs and sticks, Blue turned round to find Noah standing barely two inches away from her face. 

“N-Noah! Why are you so close?” she asked in surprise. 

He said, “You seem happy.” 

Blue began to reply when Gansey called for her. Noah stepped away at the voice. 

“Noah, Jane! Kindling please!” 

Blue called a reply before she and Noah pushed their way back to the camp with an armful of wood each. Dumping it at Gansey’s feet, Blue crawled inside the tent and found her sleeping bag. It was nestled between the taut wall and Ronan’s bed. Great, she mused, I’m stuck next to Ronan. Scanning the floor, she noticed the other wall was occupied by Noah, then Adam, then Gansey, then Ronan and finally herself. 

“Blue?” Adam asked, poking his head into the tent. He saw her and waited for her to turn. Blue turned and smiled, asking what he wanted. 

“It’s lunchtime, Jane,” Gansey butted in, squashing past Adam and pointing back outside with a thumb. She followed the two boys and sat on one of the folding chairs, accepting a sandwich and bottled water. 

To be honest, she was flattered the four boys had opted to invite her along. Gansey and Adam doing so wasn’t surprising; Ronan had agreed, albeit reluctantly, and Noah’s opinion didn't really count. But Blue had had to promise Maura she wouldn’t kiss anyone- not that she would do that with any of them, especially Ronan. That boy would probably rip her face off with that sharp smile before she even got close. 

Lounging back in his seat, Ronan pulled an iced beer from the cooler they had packed and cracked it open. As he drank, his blue eyes moved around and landed on Blue, making her uncomfortable until he looked away, smirking. Gansey was talking animatedly to Adam about Glendower while Noah sat silent and still, smudgy and taciturn as always. 

Eventually, as the sun slowly set, Gansey announced it was time for the campfire. Since none of them smoked there was no lighter, so they were temporarily at a loss until Adam discovered some matches with a triumphant yell. He and Ronan squabbled over them until Blue marched in and handed them to Noah, who she knew was a lot more reliable than Ronan with fire. Noah decided to prove her wrong in this; the quiet boy tried to light the fire unsuccessfully a few times before thrusting the cardboard box back at Blue’s face. She took them and soon a warm fire was crackling, the five moving closer for heat. 

Blue found she liked having the four boys as friends. Adam and Gansey were protective, Ronan warded away potential jackasses like Kavinsky and Noah was nice enough, although creepy. Some girls Blue knew would be squealing and making a fuss over dirt and tents and bugs, whereas these boys didn’t care. Her boys, she thought with a grin. 

“S’mores!” Gansey announced, revealing a packet of graham crackers, a big bag of powdery pink and white marshmallows and meltable chocolate bars. He rummaged around and found wooden skewers to stick the marshmallows on. 

The sugary, gooey snack brought back a burst of memories for Blue. She glanced around the fire. Ronan was telling a crude joke and Gansey was laughing, trying not to choke on some melted chocolate. Adam was attempting to not burn himself on the roast marshmallow. Noah was silent and staring again, but he was nibbling a pink marshmallow. Ronan smirked as he set his marshmallow alight. 

“First proper s’more!” Blue declared, sandwiching her blackened marshmallow and chocolate between two graham crackers too enthusiastically. One cracker broke, crumbling, and the four boys laughed at her failure. Blue joined in, and tried to eat the ruined s’more anyway. Gansey suggested a game of ‘chubby bunny’, which was immediately declined, but when Blue considered doing ‘stalking’, the majority agreed. They discussed the rules and set out to make sure there was nothing dangerous to trip on, like Blue’s pink flick-knife. 

With an embarrassed cough, Adam asked, “How does this work again?” 

He was holding a flashlight loosely, sat on a log. Blue sighed at having to explain it for the third time. 

“Me, Gansey and Ronan try to get to the log without being spotted and named. You and Noah try to catch us- but you can’t keep the torches lot constantly. You have to give us a fighting chance!” Blue explained. Gansey bumped fists with Adam and raced off into the fading light. Blue went in another direction, and she could hear Ronan crashing through the forest somewhere close. She smiled at his cursing. 

After about five minutes of crouching in a small ditch Blue heard the starting whistle. She began to crawl, grateful for her mother’s afterthought for her to wear an old T-shirt and jeans, instead of chinos and a few colorful ripped shirts. It was almost pitch black, the stars not yet out. The moon was a silent, glowing orb that slowly rose, seeming to suck in the landscape’s color. 

After some crawling, Blue found herself alongside someone else. Hoping it was Gansey, she squinted so that her eyes adjusted in the dark. A Roman nose, a shaved head. A sharp black tattoo snaking up from under a black tank top. 

“Hi,” Blue breathed tentatively. Ronan grunted a reply before flattening himself in the long grass. A hand pressed against the back of her head and Blue found herself with a mouthful of grass and dirt, chin against the floor. Torchlight stung her eyes as it passed over them, and she saw a distant flash of Adam’s face. He seemed to be alert, scanning the area. The light flicked off. 

Blue whispered her thanks. Ronan didn’t reply, setting off moving low again. Blue grimaced at his silence and followed. She thought she saw a glimpse of Noah’s hollow eyes but couldn't be sure. 

A hand touched Blue’s hair and she whipped around, ready to hide. It was Gansey. 

“Gansey!” she groaned, recovering from the scare. He shrugged with a sympathetic grin, and apologised. Glancing up where Adam and Noah were, he began to say something. 

“Hey, Jane, this is-” he began. 

“Gansey!” 

It was Adam’s voice that called his name. He cursed and flashed a grin at Blue, before getting up and running to Adam, admitting defeat. Only Ronan and Blue left. She could win this. 

But then the light starting approaching, to her dismay. With a gasp, Blue lay against the floor. Footsteps crunched over to stand in front of her. 

“Blue,” Noah said flatly, holding his flashlight above her. The glare hurt her eyes. As she stood, brushing herself down, she heard Adam call Ronan’s name, and heard a loud swear word somewhere on her left. 

Trekking back to the tent and campfire, Gansey checked his expensive watch. He seemed startled. 

“It’s way past midnight!” he said and Blue raised an impressed eyebrow; the game had gone on for over two hours. Adam was first in the tent, then Noah. The two had to awkwardly climb around each other so Noah could be by the wall. When Blue crawled in and squashed against the side she was followed by Gansey and Ronan, who seemed to be inching away slightly. Blue guessed this either out of generosity or of personal space issues. Probably the latter. 

The lamp was extinguished and darkness fell, so the only sounds were of the night creatures, wind and their quiet breathing. Blue settled down, stretching her arms out, then felt her elbow mash into someone’s face. Ronan swore at her. A hand batted at her wrist and she hastily drew her arm back in. 

Gansey laughed and complimented her. Blue didn’t know whether to accept this or not, since she could feel eyes on her in the darkness. 

*

Blue opened her eyes and realized she was wide awake. The tent was chilly because it was early morning so, like a penguin, she decided to huddle closer to the boys for body heat. She was inside a sleeping bag, so it wasn’t weird. 

She felt a jolt. Looking, she had rolled over onto an empty sleeping bag. It was cold, as if the occupant had abandoned it a while ago, but there was no evidence of anyone knowing he was gone. 

Blue carefully got up, taking care not to wake the others. Noah was gone but that was normal for him. For Ronan to wander off in the middle of the night … it wasn't a good sign. Unzipping the tent as softly as she could, Blue grabbed her jacket and exited to find herself yet again face-to-face with Noah. He looked at with his hollow eyes, the smudge on his cheek painfully obvious against his pale skin. 

“Oh, Noah, I-” Blue began. He held up a finger for her to be quiet, and said, “Go get him.” 

She complied immediately, glancing back to see him return into the tent. The grass was crunched underneath her feet, dew soaking into her walking boots, and Blue had to squint through the fog to look for signs of Ronan. The Pig loomed there, an orange beast. The hood was cold as she placed a hand on it. 

“What are you doing?” 

Blue jumped and turned. Ronan was sat on the trunk of the car, feet up on the paint. She could see that, despite his casual position, he was carefully avoiding damaging the paint. He was cradling a small black bird. 

“Where’d you get that from?” Blue asked. Ronan looked down at it. He said, “I heard it. You were all asleep. I left, found it and now you’ve found me.” 

“What type is it?” Blue asked. She stepped closer and he shifted over, giving her space to sit by him. Blue carefully lifted herself up- being shorter than him, it was slightly more difficult. Ronan, always the chivalrous one, ignored her struggles. He stroked the bird’s head with the back of a finger. 

“It’s a crow,” he said, in response to her question. Blue leaned over and the small bird looked up at her. Like a smaller Chainsaw. Ronan held it out, offering the bird like the mouse back at the Barns. Blue accepted the bird as gently as possible, feeling his scrutinizing eyes. 

The bird was delicate and warmer than she’d expected. Looking over at Ronan, she asked, “Why isn’t it flying?” 

“It’s just tamer than others,” he replied. Blue smiled slightly. 

“You have a way with animals, don’t you?” she teased before letting him take the bird back. 

Holding the bird carefully, Ronan growled, “if I wasn’t holding it, I’d punch you.” 

Blue carefully got off the car with a small hop. She watched as Ronan held the bird out and it flapped tentatively before taking flight. They watched it fly into the diluted sunrise, a strange birdwatching pair. The poisonous boy with dangerous secrets and a cutting smile, and the odd girl with a dangerous kiss and a more cutting tongue. 

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Blue asked unexpectedly. Ronan looked at her and, for a moment, there was doubt in his eyes. Blue was ready to walk back to the tent before he said, “Fine.” 

It was a flat and dry reply, but it was a yes, and that made Blue have more hope for Ronan as a friend. 

After all, Gansey was all-round positive and interesting- basically, ideal friend material. Adam was quiet and less so, but bearable. Noah was fascinating and unusual. 

Ronan Lynch, however, was unreadable, his gaze penetrating but his own armor impenetrable. The face he wore was that of a snake, vicious and cold. But Blue knew that one day, she might get under that exterior, meet the Ronan that Gansey used to know. 

There was little hope for that, but there was enough for her to cling onto. 

Ronan climbed off the Pig and the two began to walk, silent and distant. He had his hands in his pockets and his eyes to the sky, his gaze shuttered and barred. The first colors were beginning to bleed into the sky, orange and pink hues of a watercolor dream. Blue trailed her hand along the long grass, feeling the tickle on her skin and wind in her hair. She looked across at the raven boy. 

Ronan’s face was downcast now, his eyelashes casting shadows over his face like feathers. Blue couldn’t help staring at him. In the pale light, all the layers of veiled lies and the walls he’d built were cut back- here, he was clean of everything. Not a Greywaren. Not a soldier, fighting in his own imagined war. Not a boy with a dead father and secrets stretching deeper than the ocean. 

Here, Ronan Lynch was laid bare. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

Blue blinked. Ronan was looking back at her, his blue eyes sharp and questioning. 

“U-um, no reason,” she stammered. The moment had been ruined. Ronan scoffed. For a moment, Blue could have sworn that she saw a brief smile pass across his face as he looked back up at the sky. 

“Hey,” Blue said after more walking. For once, Ronan actually stopped and looked at her. His eyes were shielded. He was standing in that defensive way, ready to curl back into himself if need be. Blue swallowed, oddly nervous. “Let’s- let’s sit a while.” 

Ronan obliged. There was a flicker of a smirk, as if he couldn’t believe he was actually complying, as they sat on the yellowed grass opposite each other. Blue pulled up a handful of the straw-like strands and loosened her fingers slowly, watching the grass rain from her hands. Ronan was watching with a closed expression. After some silence, she spoke. 

Blue said, “Talk to me.” 

“You’re not a therapist,” Ronan shot back. 

Blue said, “Talk to me. As a friend.” 

Ronan snorted softly. When he still didn’t speak, Blue leaned forwards, the grass crunching softly as she moved. She studied his face curiously. 

“Why don’t you want to talk?” she wondered aloud. 

“Be quiet,” Ronan said. Yet Blue persisted. 

“Is it because I’m a girl?” she asked. He seemed to want to shake his head, but remained still, to avoid responding. Blue pressed on. “Is it because you don’t like to open up?” 

“Stop talking,” Ronan said, and this time Blue did. He ripped up a handful of grass more aggressively than she had, bringing up soil. He wiped the dirt onto his expensive jeans. They were bathed in the early morning sun and he tipped his head back, looking up at the sky. The usual pastel blue shade was seeping throughout the flaming orange sky, hinting towards the bright day to come. 

“I don’t talk,” Ronan said after a while, and Blue looked at him. His throat moved. “I just … don’t.” 

“You don’t want to?” she asked. He shrugged, and she said, “You don’t know how?” 

There it was. The half shrug, just a twitch of a shoulder. A hesitant _yes_ , hidden beneath doubt. Blue opened her mouth to speak. 

But then the old Ronan Lynch returned. He pulled up more grass and threw it, mud and all, at Blue before standing. Blue looked down at the grass before up at Ronan. And she couldn’t help smiling. 

“What’re you smiling about?” he demanded and she grinned wider, standing too. She had gotten a glimpse under Ronan Lynch’s shell; she’d seen that softer side of him, even if just for a second. And they both knew it. 

“Ronan! Jane!” 

Both of them turned. They could see Gansey waving from near the Pig, fairly distant. Ronan looked at Blue with a _tell-and-you’re-dead_ expression. She returned it with a _your-secret-is-safe-with-me-but-expect-blackmail_ expression. 

The sky was now a full soft blue, the sun shining down. Ronan Lynch, with a face like thunder, and Blue Sargent, with a smile like she owned the world, began the walk back to the camp.


End file.
